Marketing Your Business on a Budget: 14 Things You Can Do

While it would be wonderful to have a marketing budget like Coca Cola, Apple or Wal-Mart, the majority of businesses have to operate marketing strategies in “The Kinks” fashion. If you are not familiar with what I am talking about, it was a favorite song of mine when I was a rowdy teenager.

So are you trying to manage your business on a low-budget? If so, I have some tips for you.

Here are 14 strategies you can implement if you are marketing your business on a budget…

#1: Write And Publish Valuable Blog Content

This is one of the top ways Chuck does so well with Online MLM Community and also helps me immensely with my freelance business. Just writing high quality content brings business flocking in. And it costs little to start a blog.

The key to success is to publish valuable content and do it consistently. Don’t just publish a 300 word post. Take some time and effort and write the best post possible. It makes a huge difference if you want to stand out with the search engines.

You don’t even have to write the content yourself. Hire a qualified freelancer and let them do it for you!

#2: List Your Business In Search Engine Directories

It only makes good sense to list your business in Google My Business (free), Bing Places For Business (free) and Yahoo Localworks ($29.99 per month).

The Yahoo one lists your business in over 50 places.

#3: Always Ask For Referrals

No matter who you are conversing with, there is always an opportunity to ask for referrals. Don’t be shy, just do it and watch your business explode.

You might consider creating a referral program and PAYING people to give you referrals. Figure out how much money you spend, on average, to acquire a new customer. Take that amount and pay it to people whenever one of their referrals becomes a customer. It’s a good business move.

#4: Create And Pass Out Business Cards

It behooves me why anyone would have a business and not have business cards. There are so many opportunities to get new customers and clients by simply handing your business card to them.

Now, you could go through the work of designing and printing them yourself, but I suggest using the professional services of VistaPrint. They are low price and high quality.

Even better, when you are out and about networking, focus on getting the other person’s business card. That puts you in control of the sales process, because you can contact them whenever you need to, rather than sitting back and hoping they call you first.

#5: Create Your Own Elevator Pitch

Now it is time to get creative…

Imagine you are on an elevator with another person and they ask you what you do.

How can you market yourself and your business in a few seconds of time while the elevator moves floors.

Here is my example…

With over 50 books published and many posts and articles all over the internet, I own LancerLife where I, along with independent writers I contract, create content, press releases, ebooks and so much more. We work with multiple niche areas in business, sports, military and even some comedy. It is easy to find us… Just visit lancerlife.com.

I would then hand them my business card.

Try to keep your Elevator Speech to 2-3 sentences max. Keep it clear and concise and focus on the benefits of what your company offers.

#6: Be Social

This is essentially, a no brainer.

Create business social pages on Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter, Instagram, Etc, and share your content as well as other valuable information. Let your social followers see inside the business. Tell them your story. It takes time, but that is really the only cost of this marketing strategy.

I would suggest you have a presence on several social media platforms, but put your major focus on one social media platform. Let that be your hub of operations. Pick the one that people in your target market are most likely to use.

#7: Build A List

It can do your business a lot of good if you build an email list and send out regular newsletters. You can use an automatic system like Aweber or Mailchimp.

This method works quite well and as you grow in stature, your list will your products and opportunity.

The key to success is to email your list at least 1-2 times per week and provide valuable content. Focus on educating and helping your email list solve their problems, rather than just trying to sell your products.

#8: Attend Networking Events

By meeting people at various events, your business and brand will become more recognized. Attend trade shows and other events and pass out your business card. Often, people who have met you will refer you to others looking for products or services you offer.

When you go to these events, focus on connecting with no more than 4-5 people. Really focus on connecting with these people. Ask questions about what they do. Be a good listener. You’ll do much better by doing that than by just handing all 50 attendees your business card.

#9: Video Marketing

Just a quick video posted on YouTube about your business and how you came to be can also draw customers.

Try it!

You may find you will want to make more videos in the near future.

Whatever you do, don’t be boring. Focus on educating and entertaining your prospects. Make a YouTube Channel for your business and post videos frequently, at least once per week.

#10: Use Your Vehicle

A magnetic sign or a back window logo on your car or truck can garnish more business. Many network marketers use this method and it works wonders.

Having a magnetic sign made is actually quite inexpensive and many people will see it… Just be sure and drive professionally or the calls may not be about your business.

#11: Give Samples or Free Trials

Allowing a person the opportunity to try your product or service for free can create a customer for life. It is a low-cost way to generate business. Not everyone will buy after getting a freebie, but a large percentage will.

#12: Have Contests

People love to enter contests.

Try having one and give away a product for free to the winner. You may be quite surprised how many of the non-winners decide to purchase the product anyway.

I had one for one of the books I published and sales for that book jumped by 65% immediately after the contest.

Whatever you do, make sure you collect everyone’s contact information who enters the contest, so you can follow-up with them at a future date.

#13: Run Ads On Google And/Or Facebook

You will want to watch your Return On Investment, but usually running ads on Facebook or Google Adsense can be profitable.

I highly recommend starting a small run just to see how your ROI is.

You can even outsource this to a professional marketing agency, if you don’t have the time or patience to set up a campaign yourself.

#14: Telemarketing

Cold calling people is another low-cost marketing strategy. But you do need to have a strong mind and hard emotions. People can be quite mean over the phone at times.

I mention this because I was a professional telemarketer for several years.

Don’t let anyone tell you it doesn’t work, because telemarketing does work. Just make sure you familiarize yourself with the DO NOT CALL List.

You can also outsource this to a freelancer if cold calling doesn’t appeal to you.

Final Thoughts

If you are marketing your business on a budget, you just need a little creativity.

Tell us your favorite tips for marketing your business on a budget. Which method works best for you?

If you have questions, you can ask them below.

I hope these strategies help you… Be sure and share this post with others. They could use the ideas too!

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